On The Ropes
by ActuallyMarina
Summary: Her aim was getting better. His focus was slipping more often. (Cross-post from AO3)


"Let's do that drill one more time."

The air in Akihiko's room felt heavier than it did an hour ago. Their typical workout routine was wrapping up just as the small space couldn't contain any more body heat, and Minako was looking forward to some rest. It had been a few months since they started having these private lessons on a regular basis. She never would have guessed they would last this long.

When she paused to think about it, Minako couldn't believe how much she'd improved. Akihiko said from the beginning that she was 'doing great' and 'improving already', but now she was actually seeing some results. Even the little bit of bobbing and weaving he had her try out was helping in Tartarus. It was amazing that something could be so fun _and_ practical.

"You said 'one more time' the last six times," she replied. Fun or not, it was still tiring. Whether Akihiko would _actually_ let her stop was never a sure thing. He was learning how to test her limits just the right amount. And occasionally pushing his luck, too.

"That means you need to do it perfectly one more time." He was ready with a response, as if it was the obvious counterpoint to her protest. "C'mon! You almost have it, Minako. You've been doing even better than usual today."

Okay, maybe that made her heart swell. It wasn't like Akihiko was shy about complimenting her efforts. The fact that he always _meant_ it when he praised her never stopped feeling good, though. It sparked the playful part of her brain that wanted to do even more to earn compliments.

After doing all this hard work, she could probably get away with a little trick. Something to catch him off-guard, and show him that she's been listening diligently. He seemed to like it when she surprised him.

It took some effort to hide the smile tugging at her lips. She nodded and brought her arms back up into position, the athletic tape around her knuckles beginning to curl at the edge from the sweat and effort she'd exerted so far. He asked if she was ready, and she was.

They went through the same drill again.

She would throw a hook, he'd catch it and return a jab.

She'd dodge and jab once. Then twice. Switch hands. He counted the whole time, keeping her to a strict beat that didn't allow for a flinch or split second of hesitation.

They did the drill once, then seamlessly started from the beginning. Near the end, she hit high and then low in succession. This was the perfect place to switch things up.

Or, it would have been if Akihiko had been paying attention. His light grey eyes flickered away from Minako's punches every few seconds, carefully watching the focus painting stern, sculpted lines across her round face. Her eyes burned like fire when she really got into the rhythm.

Minako changed her final low jab into a high one, not realizing how her teacher's focus had slipped. Her fist met his jaw, and a lot of things happened in the next few seconds. There was a dull crack just before he stumbled backwards. The small runner carpet on his floor seemed to disagree with the way his feet moved, because Akihiko was on the ground soon after.

He sat, wide-eyed, with his back propped up by his metal bed frame. Minako felt herself let out a panicked gasp as she dropped to her knees beside him, hands hovering in the space between them. Akihiko took the tips of his fingers shallowly into his mouth, clearly bewildered by the blood that stuck to them when they came back out.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Minako bowed her head furiously a few times, feeling her face and neck flush in pure, unadulterated embarrassment. This wasn't how she thought it would go at all, and it was mortifying to see the aftermath of a prank gone wrong. "I didn't mean… I-I swear, I thought you would be able to get out of the way! Are you alright?"

He didn't seem capable of responding, and that only made her want to apologize more. She began to speak again with the intention to crucify her bad judgement for another few minutes, but the words were cut short as Akihiko's mouth crashed into hers.

The world spun for a moment or two. Minako realized her back was pressed against the floor as Akihiko crawled on top of her, blanketing her lips with another hungry kiss. They were all hot breath and trembling fingers, both dazed for completely different reasons. The sudden show of affection was far from unwelcome, but she eventually had to press her palms against his chest to separate them.

She could taste his blood. It was making her dizzy.

"H-Hey, wait," she gasped, grasping his sore jaw with one hand. He winced slightly, but his expression told her that he wouldn't have paused for chitchat, given the choice. "Aki, slow down… Doesn't that hurt?"

"Well, not really…" It was nice to finally hear him speak again. Akihiko sucked on the inside of his cheek for a second, seeming to check on the spot that was bleeding. "It's a good lesson, at least. Daydreaming during a fight usually doesn't turn out well."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. A flash of embarrassment echoed across his face in the silence. Akihiko didn't have to wrestle with bouts of uncertainty nearly as often as he did when they first started dating, but his self-consciousness still showed up once in awhile.

"I mean… it was my own fault. You'd understand if you could see yourself when you fight." His eyes flickered over her face, as if tracing the memory in his mind. "You always look nice, but this is different. There's… something fierce about it. I couldn't stop thinking about kissing you."

"That's so blunt… I wasn't doing anything different on purpose." Minako rubbed the side of her thumb across his bottom lip, recalling how certain she was that he'd want her to try hitting him. Maybe she wasn't totally wrong. "But… I might know what you mean."

They were quiet again for a moment before Akihiko's appetite got the better of him. He started kissing her again, hands gripping her sides in the same familiar routine they'd fallen into over the months. After a minute or two of that, Minako pulled away again.

"Hey… Is it okay if we switch this time?"

Dwelling on what he said made her feel strangely bold. Akihiko took a moment to process her request, but nodded all the same. Even if it hadn't occurred to him before, he seemed to like the idea.

They untangled their limbs. It felt like they were moving in slow motion as Akihiko laid across the carpet and she straddled his waist, sitting up and curiously looking down at him. His eyes waited patiently for a cue. She decided she enjoyed the view.

Minako grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She had a plain sports bra on underneath it, but she dipped down to catch Akihiko's lips before he could drink in her newly exposed skin. His hands practically flew back to her waist as she cupped his face, the faint taste of blood becoming familiar enough to be welcome.

His hands moved further up her torso. As soon as they dared to touch the fabric covering her breasts, she grabbed his wrist with one hand and pulled it away. The other hand pressed the pad of her thumb against the spot where she'd hit him. He let out groan that was neither entirely pained or frustrated.

"Not yet," she told him, mouth moving against the skin near the bottom of his ear.

Minako's free hand dipped beneath the loose t-shirt he wore for their workout, running up his ribcage and feeling the warmth of his toned flesh. She trailed down his neck, kissing and sucking and nibbling at a leisurely pace that only seemed to agitate him more. When his hands moved for her chest again, she issued the same punishment and tugged them away.

" _No_ ," she said again, propping herself up on her elbows to look down at him. "You can only touch me where I want, Aki. Do you understand?"

His eyes were narrowed, as if he were struggling with an internal conflict over these instructions. Regardless, he nodded and laid his palms flat against the floor.

"I-I understand," he managed. The way his entire body fidgeted beneath her made it seem like he was fighting a losing battle, but he clearly wanted to try.

Minako sat up again, knees spreading so she could slide further down Akihiko's body. The thin workout clothes they were wearing made his arousal more obvious than usual. She paused just long enough to blow her bangs from her eyes, then slowly rolled her hips against him.

That little bit of gratification drew another frustrated groan out of Akihiko. His fingers flexed against the carpet, but he kept his word and didn't move otherwise. The amount of effort he was putting into this made her heart melt.

"Hold my thighs?"

The command came out as a gentle question, but that was more than enough for him. He gripped the soft skin for all the leverage it could get him as they continued rolling against each other. His hips lifted to meet hers at the same steady pace, pushing back against her again and again.

She wondered if he could feel how hot she was getting. Then again, she didn't _need_ to wonder if they kept playing by her rules.

Minako bent down kiss him again, and when he lifted his head to meet her, their teeth clattered together in their mutual eagerness. She covered one of the hands on her thigh with her own, pulling it between them before hastily guiding it down the front of her gym shorts.

"M-Minako…" It sounded like Akihiko had to bite his own tongue to keep quiet as his fingers pressed into her hot, wet folds. It was all she could do to muffle any sounds either of them made between their mouths, hoping it was enough to keep the others from getting suspicious. They just needed a _little_ more time.

Her hand left to grab at the front of his shorts, pawing at his arousal with trembling hands as he rubbed small, clumsy circles against her clit. They were always a little messy, but there was something different about it this time.

Minako squeezed her eyes shut and felt tears prickle the corners from the sheer amount of effort they were pouring into each other. The next thing she knew, her face was buried in the crook of his neck as small moans pushed out of her throat without any regard for their volume.

Her long nails bit the flesh of his shoulder as she climaxed while pressed snug up against him, shuddering as he kept eagerly rubbing against her as he was told. Soon after that, the went rigid in her hand with a shallow groan and _both_ of their clothes were sporting large, obvious damp spots.

Akihiko guided Minako onto the floor, and she rested against him as they caught their breath together. When she looked over at him, the red spot on his jaw was beginning to look swollen. It wasn't surprising, but she still felt kind of bad about it.

"I need to go downstairs and get some ice for that," she told him quietly, lips slightly pursed as she examined the damage she'd done. "I'll stay with you until it's not swollen anymore, okay?"

He laughed, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"That was fast. You're back to being cute again already." He brushed her tousled bangs back into place, apparently unconcerned with his injury. "You're always surprising me in one way or another."

"Was it really surprising? I just… did what I felt like doing. When I accidentally hit you and, um, the stuff after that too." For some reason, recalling the recent memory made her feel strangely shy. No matter how long it's been, a lot of stuff was still new to them as a couple. "Do you like it better when I let you take the lead?"

He took a moment to respond. It was pretty adorable that he would think so hard about it. Their time alone must have mattered a lot to him to treat the questions so seriously.  
"I like both, for different reasons," he decided. Looking over at her, he smiled with an odd sort of confidence. "You're our leader, so it makes sense that you're good at leading. What actually surprised me is that I liked it a lot. Does that make sense?"

Her cheeks were flushing again. Minako covered her face with two hands, letting out a soft whine. She peaked at him between her fingers.

He used to be so shy when it came to talking about their relationship. When did this turn into a casual conversation? For the second time that evening, her urge to get the upperhand started to surface rapidly. Maybe she could get him back on her level, at least. Just a little joke to make him realize _what_ exactly they were discussing.

"I think so. You mean that maybe next time you'd want me to try some scratching and biting too?"

As soon as Akihiko's eyes lit up, she realized she'd miscalculated yet again.

"Yeah, why not? If we're both okay with it, it's good to try anything once."

Minako covered her face again. She'd never felt her skin burn so hotly before, but there was a bigger problem.

He had a point. Biting and scratching _did_ sound kind of nice...


End file.
